OMG
There are few surf personalities with more credibility than Evan Slater. The Ventura-born big wave surfer, and only person to helm both Surfer and Surfing magazines, has been a quiet force for years, steering the look/feel of our beloved pastime deftly.
Now the Vice President of global marketing at Billabong, Slater is directly responsible for such hits as Metallica and Italo Ferreira. When he speaks it is well worth consideration and yesterday he provided a bold reality check to grumpy locals who are continuing to melt down over the World Surf League x ABC reality television program “The Ultimate Surfer.”
Posting a clip from the 1965 film Beach Blanket Bingo to his Instagram account, the 1999 Men Who Ride Mountains runner-up asked, “What game would you rather play? This one (which featured the great Miki Dora and Johnny Fain as extras) or The Ultimate Surfer? Neither are to be taken so seriously. Don’t be mad!”
Thrilled at a hint of support, World Surf League CEO Erik Logan immediately responded, “OMG this is gold.”
An adult male using “OMG” aside, it is a fine observation. The “beach party” films, as they were called, were clear bastardizations of this sport of kings. Dora and Fain’s involvement as egregious as any of today’s “best up and coming surfers.”
“Selling out” has long been an important part of this surfing life which begs the question. Is Logan a creative genius?
More as the story develops.
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Tawdry surf stories are the core of Beachgrit’s content. Not sure how headlines on BG are that different from content on reality tv. Sure Lemoore has less drama than BG can drum up scouring the internet. Your Both still looking for the same thing. Nice write up on Paris Hilton’s new Malibu home by the way. Very important news for hardcore grumpy locals, etc.
The American International Pictures beach party movies were better than they get credit for and they rode a wavelength from cool to corny.
One minute it’s Frankie and Annette singing some goofy love song in front of a green screen.
The next it’s Little Stevie Wonder or Dick Dale rocking out, or Don Rickles cracking everyone up.
Buster Keaton!
And Eric von Zipper is one of the comic icons of the 20th century.
But that’s always true with Hollywood “waxploitation” movies: The best characters are always the funny characters: Gary Busey in Big Wednesday and Point Break.
John Philbin as Turtle in North Shore.
Etc.
But if nothing else, the beach party movies outraged true surfers like Bruce Brown, who made Endless Summer to send a message to the world: “Real surfers don’t break into song in front of their chicks!!!”
Somewhere in the files there’s a video of Sam George interviewing Frankie Avalon at Paradise Cove for a doco called Hollywood Don’t Surf.
A doco Sam might have lost control of and that never got released, which is kind of dumb.
Frankie sang Beach Party off the top of his head and Sam almost laid an egg.
Frankie’s a cool dude.
Let’s see if that’s findable.
Yep, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyi2P3UzHdE
Semi-opposable too
Bingo came out in 65 as a follow up, but the ‘semi’ like reality Muscle Beach Party came out in 63 and INTRODUCED Stevie Wonder to the world and he rips it up as you might imagine … oh what surfing has given us all …
Give me “Ride the Wild Surf” – this was Hollywood’s attempt to seriously exposé surfing – wonderfully camp!
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Kai Barger is there too!
I’d be fucking embarrassed if my 12 year old daughter used OMG, and here the CEO of a global “sports league” is doing it on a public forum! Jesus H Christ on a pobsicle stick
I love water sports.
Selling out did not come much larger than ” the morning of the earth ” now that was a truly masterful peice of work playing , on the whole so called free surfer that really is a professional , and then rolling into the Tracks magazine and the commercial surf media market , quickly followed Rip Quck n Bong taking commercial ownership of Surfing both amature and professional in Australia , truly masterful work by a group of blokes out of Sydney.
actually nothing came out of Sydney…..the industry came from a group of blokes in Torquay…and Gordon M and his wife Reena , started BB out of Qld!
The thruster.
And the thrusted.
I think he meant MOTE and Tracks, not the wettie and shorts guys…
I was talking more about Nat and the bank rollers , again your insane vanity gets in the way of looking at the overall picture.
Yes this is all astounding in its lameness but I’m still trying to figure out how the fuck Keanu Asing won a CT event.
My old man used to say it’s better to be pissed off than pissed on, unless you’re into that sort of thing.
Having never seen any of those old song and dance movies I must say I’d choose to watch these musicals instead of Kelly and ELo’s fake comp at the tub anytime.
Just seeing that snippet makes me want to try that dance, and can only imagine how good it’d be catching a bikini top while casting a fishing line off the beach.
It all looks like a heck of a lot of fun.
P.S.
If ELo et al wanted to increase the surfing population and make large sums of money for Dirka Dirka, they may very well have been better off going down this musical route due to the worldwide popularity of anything ‘song and dance’ these days…
But, it’s not a game. It’s an entire WQS Year squeezed into as yet undetermined to be fully aired TV Series. In a sense, the WSL has admitted that their qualifying series is inadequate to meet their demand for athletes, and felt it necessary to circumvent their own competition structures to achieve some stated goal. Odd.
Solid perspective, Otto
Or was this a cynical move to get Zeke back on the tour after fucking him over at Sunset? He is the only ‘CT level surfer in the show! Also as this is limited to American surfers should there be one less qualifying position for an American on the WQS?
The WSL has Rules. It’s Rules. Rules written by it. Rules that should be followed by it. But, I’m not sure that is what is going on here.
WSL RULE BOOK 2020
LAST UPDATED: June 15, 2021
Surfers may request, in writing from WSL, a copy of all changes from the prior version of the WSL Rule Book.
The WSL itself has determined how next year’s Championship Tour roster will be filled.
Under Chapter 1: Championship Tour (CT)
Section 1.09(b)
(b) Subject to Rule 1.09(c), the Surfers below will qualify for all WSL
Events held prior to the Mid-Season Cut in the following year’s
men’s CT Surfing Season:
(i) top twenty (20) from the current CT Rankings at the end of
the current Surfing Season;
(ii) the top twelve (12) from the Challenger Series Ranking at
the end of the current Surfing Season who have not already
qualified as one of the top twenty (20) Surfers from the
current CT Rankings;
(iii) two (2) Season Wildcards (please refer to Rule 1.12 for
more information); and
(iv) if there are Double Qualifiers such that a Surfer with a
Challenger Series Ranking of thirteen (13) or higher would
have qualified, those spots on the CT will instead be treated
as additional Season Wildcards (please refer to Rule 1.12
for more information) (“Additional Men Season Wildcards”)
I assume we’re near the end of the Challenger Series, if that hasn’t happened already, so we should know who are the Top 12 from the Challenger Series. Absent the circumstance of double qualifying, we should know with certainty who is getting fucked by the Ultimate Surfer.
If I was Ranked 12 on the Challenger Series, and did not get to compete on the CT because of Zeke and ELo tossing their own Rule Book into the trash bin for the sake of decidedly not prime time television, I’d be super fucking pissed off. Since I’m not that guy, I’d like to know who is, and read their interview on Beach Grit.
In the most recent Stab podcast Brendan Buckley said that lots of top talent like Albee applied to be on the show. So why was Zeke the only top talent that appeared? I’d actually be interested if Michael Dunphy, Nat Young, Tanner Gudang etc were completing for the wildcard. But instead we have some wannabe influencers and guys I’ve never heard of up against Zeke. Weird!
We don’t know what sort of outlier talent is out there. To me it seems an opportunity squandered. Look at Morgan Cibilic. Heck, he was the last qualifier, and now he’s Ranked #5 and heading to the Finals day with a chance to be World Champ.
Is the WSL sacrificing another Morgs type, from the back of the pack to look where he’s sittin’ now kinda story for the Ultimate Surfer story? Bad return on investment if you ask me.
You listen to the Stab podcast
Danny Johnson is great
Miki Dora – the sellout surfer’s surfer!
just wonder if you knew him , or read the headlines from disgruntled writers with little or no talent in their profession?
I didn’t have the pleasure, although he was camped not too far away from me in Easky for awhile. He did do work for films such as Gidget did he not? I read that “All for a few perfect waves” book. I’d genuinely be interested in what that book got wrong about him. Perhaps you could write an article about the common misconceptions about him?
Sorry to butt in, but I don’t think anyone will ever get Dora completely figured out.
But at the end Resin’s book, I think S.G. summed up Dora pretty well:
“at the bottom of it all, was just a guy, who loved to surf”……
I think it will come out one day , but I had the incredible pleasure of surfing and making boards for him , in France early 80’s….was a couple of years we spent surfing , shaping and talking about life past and present…..every sunday nite he would come for dinner and we would watch an English movie late on TF1……surfed very big waves with him when no-one else would come out…..played tennis, ate at Michelin Star Restos…
I am only realizing now how special those years were and the story’s he told…which of course were about a lot of well known scammers/surfers…..but he did have moral integrity……..
Played tennis and ate at Michelin starred restaurants?
Sounds like a cunt.
No, he didn’t know him.
Dora did have a way of rattling people’s cages though–calling BS on the surf industry decades before others did (like BG). (They say imitation is a form of flattery).
Even telling one surf mag. Editor who interviewed him and asked Dora if he was serious about his answers: Dora replied:
“I’ll leave that up to the imagination of your ‘comic book’ readers”.
Stop ignoring me, Sam.
Come have your moment in the sun.
Dora would never have passed up such an opportunity to be seen and heard!
I’m curious when your Dad, or boyfriend introduced you to surfing!? You act like you have some history in surfing, and I’m curious why you’re bringing up something this old. You could count on (2) hands the Women in the water in the 80’s. If you’re one of them, then I’ll take the pie to the face.
Sexist Cunt of The Day Award!
Because oh my, how would the little woman discover surfing for herself?! Unthinkable.
My Uncle introduced it to me Mr Self Starter homself here. Congratulations.youre o e in a million!
So you are either calling out Jen See for being old, or not legit because she came in on the wave of female surfers back in the 90’s? Classic!
Do you alw@ys stand in for Women like this? Im sure she is a big girl and doesnt need your help, or do you insist!?? Im curious why shes bringing up Dora and that would put her in a unique time slot seeing as how she is all turned up about U Surfer. But if u think u should answer for her because she cant handle it, by all mean sd go ahead…..
I was defending Jen See? Not really, just thought your “sexist cunt” comment was pretty funny.
VS is a bit of a unit , he has delusions that he was ex-military in Afghanistan , killed people in Kandahar ….when pushed about what he thought about the US’s withdrawal in Afghanistan…he made $’s with his bank/mission accomplished…….FFS read what the real vets think about their sacrifice and their mates……he’s a phony GO Joe…..
“Wave of female surfers (back) in the 90’s?”
Laugh OUT LOUD! You obviously were in diapers, there was no WAVE! Comically laughing very hard about that comment. L, L, L,……
how would you know , as you weren’t there…..womens surfing started booming when the ASP finally started the womens professional tour…..every woman who surfs today is part of the initial boom!
Hahahaha! Finally, the catfish I was fishing for….
I was there, champ. I surfed all thru the 80’s. Sorry to bust your bubble. By the way, in 1981 I thought you were the shit!! You f turd.
Hey VS did your boyfriend introduce you to surfing?
Sorry Jen I had to stand up for you I can’t let Surfline man get picked on 🙂
It was actually my Uncle. I’m a heterosexual male, but way to go on the slam. That’s f hilarious. Oh, and nice work on protecting the female because you think they need it! All of you played right into this whole shtick! Hahahahaha, see, surfing is sexist. But the millennial woke play is f hilarial!!! Who knows, one day you might even get her email.
Wrong again VS. I protected her because she is a fucking great story teller. Her gender has nothing to do with it. Just step out of your own body for a minute and read your original comment and the replies you got and you will see it is just you that keeps bringing up genders. I’m not woke mate I’m a middle aged nihlistic surfer I hate everyone in the lineup equally.
“I’m not woke mate I’m a middle aged nihlistic surfer I hate everyone in the lineup equally.”
Nice! Agreed!
Chivalry is not dead.
i’m curious about when anyone introduced you to anything.
I’d never fisted anyone until I came by your house on Mothers day!
i could tell. total amateur.
Surfer magazine FAILED! The difference is, back then noone cared about surfing. Now, all these garbage bags on the gub dole have a lot of time/money on their hands. We don’t need a rush of lame a$&es hitting the water. F, E Slater! Surfer fagazine was going woke to the 10th power before it was thrown in the dust bin!
Surfer didn’t go down on his watch
It was a slow slide.
Let’s not give Evan too much credit here. He’s just as bad as Elo. Look at the ridiculous amount of brand collaborations (ie “can we please use your name/IP so people will continue to buy our stuff?”) that he’s overseen in the last few years.
Yeah, the guy surfs well, but Billabong having to partner with Wrangler just to continue to move product shows a clearly short term focus and serious lack of creativity.
Jissus, bring back those pointy tits!
One defenition of genius is a person regarded as exerting a powerful influence over another for good or evil.
OMG is ELO an evil genius? He could be a bond villain with those ridiculously bright teeth
Anyone who would decide to move WCT finals from Pipeline to Lowers has to be dumber than a rock.